Fabric



Patented June 21, 1938 `UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE FABRIG Ralph It., Cone, Chicago, lli., assigner to Harold v limbank, New York, N. Y.

AmilicationV September ll, i937, Serial No. 161,890 it @lai (UL. lib-l) The present invention relates to nlamcntous adjacent strands or turns of a layer are relatively bodies and their production, the methods of uticlose together, retaining the filaments in this lizlng the same in the ornamenting arts and the condition by the use of a suitable soluble adresulting ornamental articles. hesive which may be applied as acoating or u The popularity of pile fabrics has been an otherwise and which may or may not partially enduring one and their manufacture is still penetrate the laments ter the adhesive has pursued rather extensively on a commercial scale become set sumciently, the hollow body or strucas well as by the' individual. Perhaps the most ture thus formed is removed from the mandrel 4corrnrmm. products -of this art as domestically as by cutting the filaments at an angle to the 1m practised today are candle-Wick spreads and direction in which they were Wound. The fabric w scarfs, chenille and tufted articles such as bathmay be then spread out and if desired, subdivided room rugs and hooked rugs. Although the textile inte tape-like bodies Of desired Widths by Sheerart generally has been highly developed, existing ma r Similar OpeatlOnS- The resultant prodmethods for producing tufted articles oi' the type ucts will be then in the form of tape-like bodies in under consideration are relatively expensive from whose edges are deflneds by the ends of the w the standpoint of both time consumption and cost hellcally Wound or substantially parallel ulaof raw materials. Y ments which are retained in extended condition Numerous devices have been proposed previousand substantially 0091811121' if desired, by the PreS- ly for reducing the costs and simplifying the enceH of the soluble adhesive which may be suitmi methods ofattaching pile to backings, typical ably softened or plasticized.

among which have been the provision of textile These fabrics or tape-lilre bodies may be pro thread Wrapped upon a semi-rigid support such duced in any desirable color or combination of as disclosed in the patent of Ludlow, 336,524, colors by suitably dyeing and/ or splieilltr the mapatented February 16, ieee and the use ortemment 01' filaments employed. The filament itself porary Wrapping frames as disclosed in the P'at-l maybe unitary 0r brOuS, twisted 01 lmtWStefl, 2s

ent ltd granted to Hollister on February of textile or other nature, natural or articial. i3, 193i. In both cases, after the thread or yam Fabrics of this type Willlilll utility in the has been attached to the backing, it is necessary Ornamentlng arts by applying and attaching the to `remove the supporting structure and sever same upon a suitable backing, by arranging the -im the loops, both of which constitute steps that are tape-like bodies in rows or other designs, or by 30 not only troublesome to practice, but in addifastening a Wider sheet at spaced points and tion, tend to diminish uniformity of the nished subsequently subdlviding the material. 'Ihese product. L fabricsmay be employed'as single layers or in In accordance with the present invention, a multiple layers, superimposed or. in overlapping a5 article of manufacture is produced Whichls not relationship. These fabrics are preferably at- 35 subject to the inherent shortcomings and Adis tached to the backing by sewing, after which, the advantages of the prior art, it is relatively simple adhesive material is removed as by subjecting the to manufacture and therefore comparatively insame to a solvent, whereupon the released filaexpensive to the purchaser, is convenient to han.. ments will assume their iinalpositions and pro- 40 dle and dispense commercially, and is exceedingduce the desired ornamental appearance. 40 ly readily manipulatedin the production of orna- A more detailed description of the present inmental goods.` Following the present invention., vention may be had upon reference to the aca fabric is produced which is composed essencompanying drawing wherein: tiallyy of unwoven filaments assembled by a Fig. l is a perspective representing the manner readily removable adhesive. When produced in of winding a lament on a mandrel; 45 the formof a tape-like body, the laments will Fig. 2 is a perspective ofthe hollow structure run transversely of the body, the adhesive being after removalfrom the mandrel; x l readily removable as by immersion in Water or Fig. 3 is a plan of the fabric after it has been other commonly available solvent which will not spread out and partially divided into strips;

deleterlously adect the laments themselves or Fig. d is an enlarged perspective of the ad- 50 the particular backing to which they are lnhesively bound fabric as it is intended for the tended to be applied. i market;

A preferred method of producing the fabric i`s y Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in perspective of by winding one or more filaments helically upon one of the tape-like bodies attached to a backa mandrel in one or more layers so that the ing; 55

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a tape-like body attached to a backing after the adhesive has been removed; and i Fig. 'l is an elevation depicting superimposed layers of the fabric sewed upon a backing.

In accordance with the preferred method of producing the fabric bodies of the present invention, one or more filaments 2l are wound upon a rotatable mandrel 22 so that the adjacent turns or strands are positioned contiguously, whereupon a readily removable adhesive composition is applied to the filaments thus wound tov unite them in the form of a hollow cylinder open at its ends. After the adhesive has set sufficiently, the hollow structure or body 2l thus formed is removed from the mandrel as by cutting the filaments along a line 2B transverse to the winding direction, the adhesive material serving toy maintain the filaments in their assembled relationship. The hollow b ody may then be unrolled or flattened to assume the form of a sheet 2l, which may be utilized as such or subdivided along one or more lines 3l spaced at suitable intervals to form strips or tape-like bodies 32 of desired width and contour. It should be noted that any convenient number of filaments may be fed simultaneously upon the mandrel, and/or the filament or filaments may be wound upon the mandrel in multiple layers if desired.-

The adhesive employed in uniting the filaments should be soluble to provide for its ready removability for reasons to be discussed more completely, and it should at the same time possess sumcient flexibility that the fabric bodieiil can be handled and folded to an extent -sumcient Ator withstand the normal strains encountered in display. sale and use. j 1 l A water soluble adhesive found to be suitable for the purposes of the present invention, is gelatin admixed with suitable proportions ,ofv a softening agent such as glycerin. Many other water soluble adhesivesv suggest themselves, among which are glues, starches, agar, pectin, gums, etc., with which suitable plasticizers, ilexibilizers, softening agents, etc., may be incorporated. Since there are conceivable cases in which the use of water wouldnot be desirable, it is also contemplated to employ adhesives other .than those which are soluble in water. Byway of example only, vinyl resins such as polystyrene or polyvinyl acetate may be employed, accompanied as desired by suitable plasticizers.. In such cases, a suitable solvent such as benzene may be employed advantageously. Adhesives and corresponding solvents other than tho .Specled may be usedliowever, many of which will be su'ggested-upon referring to such well known sources as "The Chemistry of Synthetic Resins" by Carleton Ellis, published 1935 by the Reinhold Publishing Corporation, New York city, andthe adhesive art generally. Adhesives which are soluble in the commoner dryv cleaners for example, might be especially well adapted for use, inconjunction with the present invention.

The filament or filaments used in making the fabrics or tape-like bodies are preferably but not necessarily of textile origin and may well assume various colors, forms and types. The filaments may be unitary or fibrous, mixed or pure, twisted` or untwisted, natural or synthetic. Threads 4composed of wool, cotton,silk, rayon. linen, mineral fibres, etc., or anymixtures may be used. Buch materials may be bleached or unbleached, plain or dyed, solid or multi-colored. It will be under--4v stood that the filaments may be spliced at intervals to provide the necessary length or to achieve various color combinations or designs. Moreover, the `ultimate fabrics or tape-like bodies themselves may be spliced or jointed in longitudinal or superimposed relationship to obtain desired lengths, thicknesses, thread densities, designs, etc. f

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the fabric body 3 2 is made up of a plurality of filaments running transversely thereof, sufficiently treated with a soluble adhesive 34 to unite the laments and retain them in such extended condition as to produce a structure having the desired characteristics. The adhesive material is preferably sumciently plastic or flexible to permit a reasoneable amount of folding and handling of 'the fabric so that it will resist the ordinary wear and tear encountered in commerce and use. In some cases it may be desired to provide the fabric with assembling or reinforcing means to supplement the adhesive. For example, one or more rows of stitching may be used. Whereas such supplemental means are not regarded as primarily required by this invention, their use should properly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

The adhesive material may be applied to the filament or filaments after winding upon the mandrel, by immersion, spraying, or in any other well known manner. It is also contemplated however, to initially coat the mandrel with the adhesive composition and then wind the lament thereupon. As a matter of fact, if desired, Nthe filaments may be coated on both exposed surfaces or any portions thereof, and the filaments and/or their bers may be or need not be impregnated.

Application of the tape-like bodies or fabrics to a backing to be ornamented may be accomplished in the manner shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. The fabric is preferably sewed upon a backing 28, such as cloth, by means of one or more rows of stitching 38. Where the fabric isl in the forml of a tape, the stitching is shown as extending substantially medially thereof. Where the fabric is wider. spaced rows of stitching may be used and the fabric subsequently subdivided between such rows. Various other modes of clamping the fabric or tape-like bodies to their backings willY also suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

After the tape-like or fabric body or bodies have been fixed upon the backing material, the adhesive is removed from the filaments preferably by subjecting them to a suitable solvent. Where a water-soluble adhesive such as gelatin is present. water would be the most logical solvent, but in some cases, if a water-insoluble composition has been employed, a corresponding solvent will be necessary.

After the assembly has been washed free of the adhesive, the threads or filaments will assume their nnal form such as 'that depicted in Fig. 6 of the drawing.l It will be understood of course that if the fabric or tape-like bodiesL are applied to the backing in several layers', after they adhesive has beenremove'd. a much denser pile will result than thatachieved with the use of a single layer,

As depicted in Pig. 7, multiple layers of the fabric or tape-like ,bodies have been applied to a backing il, by means of a row of stitching ll. It will be evident that the several layers may be of a single color or material, or they may vary in these respects depending upon the particular de-` It is conceivable that the adhesively united fabrics and ornamental bodies in accordance with the present invention may be produced by methods other than those specifically disclosed herein. It would be possible, for example, to stretch a plurality of lamentsso that theylie substantially parallel to one another and in close contact, and while thus maintaining them, apply an adhesive composition thereto, resulting in a product similar to that shown in Fig. 3 of the attached drawing. Accordingly, unless otherwise restricted, the claims of the present application should be construed to cover articles of manufacture of the present type however they may be produced. In the case of the method claims, applicant has elected the method disclosed and claimed as being preferred.

It will be understood that the present invention is applicable to the production of 'tuftedarticles of all sorts.

I claim:

1. An unwoven tape-like body adapted for use in the production of pile fabrics comprising a plu- 3. A method of ornamenting comprising securing to a backing a body composed of textile diaments having their ends assembled only by and an adhesive removing the adhesive by a solvent therefor. r

il. A method oi' ornamenting comprising securing to a backing aiabric made up oi substantially "parallel textile diamants having their ends ae cured together only by an adhesive and subject# ing the body to a treatment for removing the adhesive. y

5. A method of ornamenting comprising sewing to a backing a tape-like body made up of textile threads running transversely of the body and having their ends secured together only by a water soluble adhesive and washing --the' sewed assembly to remove the adhesive.

6. A method of ornamenting comprising sewing to a backing a plurality of tape-like bodies each of which is, made up of transverse textile threads having their ends secured together only by an adhesive and removing the adhesive by a solvent therefor.

7. d method of ornamenting comprising securing to a backing a tape-like body made up of transverse textile threads secured together intermediate of their lengths and having their ends stldened by a soluble adhesive and removing the adhesive with a solvent therefon A textile article comprising a tape-like body said tape-like body being composed of a plurality of transverse substantially parallel textile threads united by a soluble adhesive, and a row of stitching extending substantially medially of said tapelike body.

1 9. The method of making a tuftedy article Vcom-- prising securing to a backing a plurality of superposed layers of textile threads bound together solely by an adhesive and subsequently dissolving the adhesive..

lil. A textile article comprising a backing, a tape-like body superimposed upon said backing, said tape-like body being composed of a plurality of transverse substantially parallel textile threads united by a soluble adhesive, and a row of stitching extending substantially medially of said tapeilke body and securing said body to said backing. RALPH R. CCNE. 

